Keith Hudson wrote: > If the MNCs' vs Nation-states' rankings are compared like-for-like, then we > have the situation whereby only 2 of the top 50 economies are MNCs -- and > only 37 of the top 100. According to the IPC, Hertz and the > anti-globalisers, General Motors is bigger than Denmark. In reality, > Denmark's economy is three times bigger than General Motors. Even > Bangladesh has a bigger economy than General Motors.
Even if Hertz's calculation is wrong by a factor of 3 or 4 as you claim: The exact size is not important. What matters is the influence/pressure on nation-states via lobbyists and the supranational trade organizations. > General Motors is many times more > economically powerful than Nepal but if, for some reason, the Nepalese > Government tells General Motors to get out, then it would have to. Unless it is blackmailed with losing jobs (or lawsuits under GATS)... And if Afghanistan tells Unocal to get out, then it would have to -- that is, until the US Airforce returns with a vengeance and installs a former Unocal employee as "interim president" so they can finally build that pipeline... > At the > end of the day, the nation-state sets the legislative rules by which > companies operate. Let's not confuse the sizes or functions of two quite > different institutions. At the end of the day, WTO and IMF (globally) and industrial lobbyists (nationally) set the legislative rules by which countries operate. Let's not confuse the sizes or powers of two quite different institutions (electorally accountable or not). Time to wake up from your creative fiction/delusion, Keith. Chris
